Mouse or rat trap.



J. PALMOWSKI.

MOUSE 0R RAT TRAP.

APPLIOATION FILED APR.14, 191s.

Patented Apr. 21, 191% 2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

INVENTOR WITNESSES ATTORNEY J. PALMOWSKI.

MOUSE 0R RAT TRAP.

APPLICATION FILED APR.14, 1913.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2L @INVENTOR haw /////%n =7 M QWITNESSES ATTO R N EY JOSEPH PALMOWSKI, OF WILKES-BARBIE, PENNSYLVANIA.

MOUSE OR RAT TRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 21, 1914.

Application filed. April 14, 1913. Serial No. 761,016.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPI-I PALMowsKr, a citizen of the United States,residing at \Vilkes-Barre, in the county of Luzerne and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Mouse or Rat Trap, of whichthe following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in traps for mice or rats.

The object of the present invention is to improve the construction oftraps for mice or rats, and to provide a simple, inexpensive andeflicient trap, adapted for catching with one setting a comparativelylarge number of mice or rats, and capable of causing such animals whencaught to attract other animals and induce the same to enter it.

A further object of the invention is to pro vide a mouse or rat trap ofthis character in which thecaptured animals will not die in the trap sothat the latter will not be aifected by bad odors and may be usedcontinuously without disinfecting it.

Anotherobject of the invention is to provide a trap having a relativelylarge number of separate compartments, and capable of being easily andquickly baited and readily set.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in theconstruction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and pointed out in the claimhereto appended; it being understood that various changes in the form,proportion, size and minor details of construction, within the scope ofthe claim, may be resorted to without departing from the spirit orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings :Figure 1 is a perspective view of a trap, constructedin accordance with this invention. ,Fig. 2-is a longitudinal sectionalview of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the body of the trap,the top being removed.

Like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings in which is illustrated the preferredembodiment of the invention,the trap,which is designed in practice to beconstructed of two sizes to adaptit either for catching mice or rats,comprises in its construction a rectangular casing composed of a bodyportion 1 and a removable top 2, detachably secured on the body portionby means of hooks 3 and eyesl, arranged in pairs at opposite sides ofthe trap, but any number of hooks and eyes or other suitable fasteningmeans may be employed for detachably securing the top of the casing tothe body thereof. The casing is designed to be constructed of anysuitable material, which will render it non-transparent so that thecaptured animals cannot be seen either from the exterior or by animalsentering the trap, and the body is composed of a horizontal bottom,vertical side walls 5 and end walls 6. The space inclosed by the sideand end walls is divided into two sets or series of narrow compartmentsby longitudinal and transverse partitions 7 and 8, the transversepartitions being arranged in alinement midway between the end walls 6,as clearly illus trated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, and closing The endwalls 6 are provided at the outer ends of the narrow compartments withentrance openings 9 of a size to permit a mouse or rat to enter thetrap. The longitudinal andtransversepartitions have their upper edgesarranged in the same horizontal plane "as the upper edges of the sideand end walls,

and the removable top fits fiat against all of the said upper edges, andit is centered by an upwardly projecting portion 10 of a post 11,located atthe center of the body of the trap and projecting above thepartitions and fitting in a central opening 12 of the top 2. The post,which is preferably rectangular, has its lower end 13 fitted in acentral opening 14 in the bottom of the body. The openings 12 and 14.are preferably rectangular, but a post of any other configuration may,of course, be employed.

The casing is relatively low, and the compartments are constructed of awidth and height to prevent a mouse or rat entering a compartment fromturning around therein, so that after an animal is caught in the trap,it will be confined in close proximity to a bait 15 to cause the animalafter being caught to continue gnawing the bait for the purpose ofattracting other animals and causing the same to enter the trap. Thebait is supported by a plurality of setting devices 16, located adjacentto the inner ends of the compartments a suflicient distance from theouter ends thereof to permit a mouse or rat to enter completely the trapbefore attacking the bait. Each setting device 16 is designed to beconstructed of Wire, or other suitable mathe compartments at the innerends thereof. 7

terial and it consists of an upright lever, pro vided at an ntermedlatepoint wlth an eye 17 and extending through an opening 18 in theremovable top 2, and pivotally mounted thereon by means of a pintle 19,which passes through the eye 17. The pintle spans the opening 18, andits terminals are bent downwardly and embedded in the removable top 2.The lower arm or portion of the setting to the same by pintle rods 24passing through eyes 25 of the arms 22. The arms 22 are preferablyconstructed of stout wire bent to form substantially U-shaped loops andhaving the sides coiled near their lower ends to form the said eyes 25,the lower terminals 26 of the sides being embedded in the doors 23. Thedoors 23 may be constructed of any suitable material, either wood ormetal, and they are maintained in a closed position by springs 27,constructed of resilient wire, each spring being composed of a centralloop 28 and side coils 29, which are disposed on the pintle rod 24. Theloop 28 extends upwardly and bears against a block 30, secured to theremovable top and arranged to project through the arm 22 when the trapis set, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 1 of the drawings, and theterminals of the spring 27 bear against the outer face of the door 23.The blocks, which are arranged at the end edges of the top 2, arepreferably triangular and present outer vertical edges to the springs.The pintle rods 24 are preferably continuous, as shown, and are mountedin eyes formed by staples 31, but the spring actuated doors may behinged in any other suitable manner.

The top of the casing is removable to afford access to the bait hooks,so that the trap may be easily and quickly baited. After the bait hasbeen placed on the hooks of the setting devices, the top is replaced andsecured on the body of the trap, and the arms of the hinged doors areswung downwardly and inwardly and en 'age with the setting hooks. Amouse or rat attracted by the bait and entering one of the compartmentswill on gnawing the bait trip the setting devic-s and release the hingedspring actuated door, which will close and confine the animal in the lownarrow compartment. As it will be impossible for the animal to turn inthe compartment, it will be confined therein with its head in closeproximity to the bait, and as the mouse or rat is not injured by thetrap it will continue gnawing the bait and thereby attract other mice orrats and cause the same to enter the other compartments. The mice orrats approaching the trap hearing the gnawing interiorly thereof and notseeing the captured mice or rats will enter a compartment and be caughtin the trap. In this manner a large number of animals may be captured atone setting of the trap, and as the captured animals are not killed, thetrap will not be affected by any bad odor, and it may be usedcontinuously without disinfecting it. The captured animals may bedestroyed in any suitable manner.

What is claimed is A trap of the class described including a bodycomposed of a bottom, side and end walls, the end walls being providedwith entrance openings, partitions dividing the space within the bodyinto compartments extending inwardly from the entrance opening andclosed at their inner ends, a central post mounted within the body andprojecting above the partitions thereof, a removable top detachablysecured on the body and having a central opening receiving the upper endof the post, whereby the top is interlocked with the body, hinged springactuated doors carried by the top and arranged to cover the entranceopenings, and setting devices for the said doors also mounted on andcarried by the said top and having bait holding means extending into thesaid compartments.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have heretoafiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JOSEPH PALMOVVSKI. lVitnesses:

Geo. TOMASCLK, Jos. REIDEMEN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. O.

